The Rhythms of Life: Ecstatic Dance & Community with Ahva Lenay

A State of Mind

Julian talks with Ahva Lenay, a ceremonialist and founder of Rhythm Sanctuary. Ahva works in conflict resolution as well as facilitating life transitions, rites of passages and ceremonies and in helping create events such as the Wisdom Village at Arise Music Festival.

Learn more:

http://www.rhythmsanctuary.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/44591474049/

https://www.a4uj.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstatic_dance

Partial list of topics (approximate times)

0:00 Introduction - The MeetDelic Conference & the corporatization in the emerging field of psychedelic medicines

6:38 Conversation with Ahva begins

• What is Rhythm Sanctuary and Ahva's role in helping found it
• How Rhythm Sanctuary has been a community, a place many people have made friends and Ahva has now facilitated 3 weddings of folks from Rhythm Sanctuary
• 11:38 What is Ecstatic Dance
• 12:39 Ahva's background with dance and as a dance teacher and her own teachers and journey with learning about dance and embodiment

15:00 - How Ecstatic Dance is a practice and way of finding connection and ecstasy while being Sober together

15:38 - the structure and elements of the Rhythm Sanctuary ritual, including the importance of not speaking on the dance floor

17:30 How Rhythm Sanctuary has saved people's lives

20:38 How Rhythm Sanctuary is not about the DJ, it is co-created by everyone who shows up together.

21:38 the power of sharing in a circle

24:30 Evolutionary reasons for why Public Speaking is so challenging for many

27:00 Ahva's background, being a single mom at a young age, how she lived in an intentional, off grid, sustainable community that included farming on 600 acres

35:38: The human needs for love and joy

• How to find your joy and purpose

39:30 New definition of Hierarchy

42:00 Ahva’s witnessing of a wild geese funeral service

42:30 Ahva's work as a Death Douhla and her work as a ceremonialist

• Rites of passage

52:00 Prosperity circulator abundance

54:50 - Ahva's work with Conflict Resolution

56:30 - When Ahva was unfairly attacked online for re-starting Rhythm Sanctuary and had her own brush with 'cancel culture'

65:30 Ahva's connection and roles with Arise Music Festival

1:12:00 - Ahva's work with Conflict Resolution and the Alliance for Unitive Justice which is based on Restorative Justice.

1:19:34 - the poem 'Courting the Muse' by Tiffanie DeBartolo, read by Ahva.

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